Tape applying and cutting apparatus



30, 1940. E. A. MARSH TAPE APPLYING AND CUTTING APPARATUS 5 Sheets- Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 6, 1937 O S O Q mm V INVENTOR Es/i A. .Mars/r BY (9W a ATTORNEYS April 30, 1940. E. A. MARSH TAPE APPLYING AND CUTTING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 6, 1937 ATTORNEYS April 30, 1940. E. A. MARSH TAPE APPLYING AND CUTTING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Shut 4 Filed Dec. 6, 1937 INVENTAOR [.5// 4. Mars/z BY @W ATTORNEY 5 April 30, 1940. E. A. MARSH I TAPE APPLYING AND CUTTING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 6 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 v NVENTQR' 55// A. Mans/2 BY 0W1. @W

ATTORNEY 5 Patented Apr. '30, 1940 UNITED STATES TAPE APPLYING AND CUTTING APPARATUS Esii A. Marsh, ()swego, N. Y., assignor to St. Begis Paper Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application December 6, 1937, Serial No. 178,269

' 12 Claims. (01112-117? This invention relates to a tape applying and 'cutting apparatus and has for its object an apparatus which will apply tape to an article such as a bag, will feed the tape only while the article is being moved in cooperative relation with the applying apparatuaand will sever the tape at a predetermined point with relation to the article to which it has been applied.

More particularly, the object is to provide an apparatus which will apply tape to the ends of bags which are fed in succession past the applying means, will feed and apply the tape only while a bag end is being fed past the applying means, and will sever an applied length of tape at a predetermined point with respect to the bag end. The apparatus is particularly devised for use in connection with a sewing machine, where the tape is applied to the end of a bag and then a seam is sewed through the tape and bag end. It

is shown arranged for use in closing the mouths of filled bags, and is especially useful for that purpose.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this speciflcation,

- Fig. 1 is a somewhat diagrammaticffront elevation of apparatus embodying one form of the invention;

Figs. 2, 3,.4 and 5 are enlargeddetail sections on lines 2-2, 33, 4-4, and 5-5 respectively of Fig. 1

FliFigl. 6 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. '7 is a section on the line 'l-l of Fig. 6, with parts broken away;

Fig.8 is a section substantially on the line 2-4 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is an elevation of the tape applicatorportion of the apparatus viewed from the right of Fig. 1 and with"'parts broken away; v Fig. 10 is a section on the line ill-ll of Fig. 9;

Figs. 11 and 12 are diagrammatic views 01' the tape feeding operation;

Fig. 13 is a detail section on the line lS-l I of Fig. 11;

Fig. 14 is a section on the line i4- -i4' of Fig. '7;

In the apparatus shown in the drawings there is indicated a sewing machine 25 which may be of any well known construction, and which constitutes no part of the present invention, and therefore is not shown in detail. Likewise there is shown diagrammatically a belt conveyor 26 5 supported by rollers 21 and carrying a row of filled bags, three of which are indicated at 28, 29 and 30.

The chief feature of the invention is a tape applying and cutting device indicated generally 10 by 31, and comprising a tape guide 32 for a tape 33 which is fed from any convenient tape reel indicated diagrammatically at 34. It also coinprises a feeding roller 35, a stationary cutting knife 36, (see Figs. 10, 11 and 12)v and'a movable ll cutting knife 31. The general arrangement of the machine as outlined above is indicated on Fig. 1.

- The drawings show the application of the tape/- to the top 3 9 of bag 29. Tape guide 32 is provided with a receiving end 40 which properly directs tape 33 into guide 32. Guide plate 4| is provided, against which the closed upper end of the bag may be laid in order to guide the bag top into proper, relation with the tape guide. i Guide 32 is provided with flanged edges 42 which receive the edges of the tape and hold the tape in position. In the construction shown it will be seen that the tape is received initially at an angle of about 45 and then progressively bent into shape over the top of the bags by the guides,

as indicated somewhat diagrammatically in Figs.

2 to 5 inclusive. In the construction shown there is provided a guard 48 over the tape guide 32, and the guard is provided with an extending 1.

portion 44 which extends over the path of the tapeuntil it reaches the sewing position so as to aid in insuring correct position of the tape with respecttb the bag; untilitis flnally'amxedby the sewing operation, the sewing needle being diagrammatically indicated at 45 in Fig. 5. While "the tape is being-applied to the top 39 of the bag 29, it is being sewed to the top 46 of bag Ill, when ,the bags are spaced as shown in the drawings. The sewing machine is indicated as being provided with a feed dog 41. (See Fig. 1).

The active moving parts for feeding and applying "the tape comprise feed roller 35 and knife 31; as indicated above. The apparatus by which these parts are rendered operative at the desired times willbe described next.

Roller 35 is mounted upon the lower end of a shaft ill which carries on its upper endla miter gear 5i meshing with a miter gear 52 on the end of a horizontal shaft 52. Fixed on shaft 52 I there is a clutch member 54 provided with teeth 55 adapted to be engaged by a pawl 56. The pawl is normally urged into engagement with the teeth by a spring 51. The pawl and spring are carried by a worm wheel 58 loose upon shaft 53 and constantly driven by a worm 59 upon a vertical shaft 68. On the upper end of shaft 68 there is a pulley 6 I driven by a belt 62 from a pulley 63 upon the upper end of the drive shaft 64 of the sewing machine. 'I'he'sew'lng machine may be operated in-any desired way, but in the drawings it is shown as being provided with a drive pulley 65 driven by a belt 66 from any suitable source of power.

The apparatus may be mounted in any convenient way, but a very simple and advantageous mounting is indicated in Fig. 6 where the casing of the tape .applying and cuttingmeans is shown pivoted .at 61 upon a bracket 68 attached to the frame of the sewing machine. The belt 62 tends to draw the shaft of the tape applying device towards the sewing machine, and a'suitable stop screw 48 operated by handle 69 abuts a stop 49 on bracket 68 (see Fig. 22) and prevents'the tape applying apparatus from swinging too far in the direction in which it is urged by the belt. It will be readily seen that such a mounting makes it very easy to swing the tape applying means back out of the way if the apparatus is to be used for sewing bags to which tape is not applied, and it can be as easily swung back into position when tape is to be applied.

It will be seen that the means described constantly drives roller 35 at a minimum peripheral speed. This speed is preferably not greater than the speed of the belt 26, any slight variation being on the slow side. The over-running clutch provided by ratchet wheel 55 and pawl 56 makes it possible to feed the tape faster than wheel 35 is driven, as will be described more fully later.

In order to make drive wheel 35 operate, there is provided an abutment roller I8, mounted upon an arm II, pivoted at I2, as best shown on Fig. 10. Arm 'II and its roller I8 are constantly urged towards roller 35 by means of a spring I3, but the approach of roller I8 to rpllen 35 is exactly limited by a stop screw I4. It will be seen that in this way the abutment roller III is yieldingly held at an exactly predetermined distance from roller 35 until the force of the spring is overcome.

In order to operate the cutting knife at the desired time there is an operating mechanism timed by a tripping finger II which normally rests against the bag top while a bag is passing the point where the cutters are located. As shown on Fig. 10, tripping finger "I1 is mounted upon a carrier I8 pivoted upon the frame of the lower end of the spring rests.

free end of pawl 84 is adaptedto engage a head '81 on a pin 88 which is normally urged upward by a spring 89 until the shouldered lower end of the rod contacts the fixed collar on which the The upper end 98 of pin 88 is normally in stopping relation with a hardened abutment member 9I on a-rock arm 92 fastened to rock shaft 93. On the other end of shaft 93 (see Figs. 8, 9 and 21) there is a stop member 94 normally engaging a tooth on a trip member 95 pivoted at 96 upon a clutch member 9'! keyed on shaft 98. A spring 99 tends to swing trip member 95 so as to engage the clutch. The end of pivot 96 is cut away so as to form a partiaily circular member I88. When the trip member 95 is freed by stop member 94, it is swung by spring 99 so asto turn its end I88 into the oncoming notching I8I of driving member I82 of the clutch. Drive member I82 is rigidly fastened upon a worm-wheel I83 which engages a worm I84 on shaft 68.

Worm wheel I83 is loosely mounted upon a sleeve I rigid with member 91. The opposite end of sleeve I85 is provided with a flange I86, having a tooth I81 (see Figs. 8 and 19). A shaft I88 rotates loosely within sleeve I85. A clutch member I89 rotates with shaft I08 and is provided with a tooth II8 adapted to engage tooth I8I. Member I89 is also provided with a tooth II I adapted to engage a stop member I I2 mounted upon arm 92. A cam hub I I3 is mounted upon -shaft I88 by means of a pin II4 which passes through shaft I88 and hub II3 into clutch member I89, so that all three parts rotate in unison.

A rock arm H5 is mounted upon shaft 93 and in the form shown is integral with arm 92. A spring 6 normally urges rock arm 5 to the left as viewed in Figs. 7 and 15. The arm is provided with an abutment II! which is eng iged by cam III! on hub II3 during the rotation of that member.

On the end of shaft I88 there is a disc I28 provided with a crank pin I2I. nected by a link I22 to the upper end I23 of lever I24, which carries the movable knife blade 31.

A spring I25 constantly urges lever I24 in the cutting direction (see Fig. 7).

The operation of the apparatus will be fairly clear from the foregoing description, but for convenience the successive steps in the operation will be briefly reviewed.

As indicated in Fig. 1, the apparatus is particularly devised for the closing of the mouths of filled .bags by forming-across such mouths.

seams reinforced by a suitable tape. Filled bags are moved by the supporting conveyor in succession into cooperative relation with the appa-' ratus. As a bag comes opposite plate 4|, the top of the bag is collapsed and placed against that plate so that the closed top of the bag enters properly between the sides of the.tape, as will clearly appear from Figs. 2 and 3. It is presumed that at the time this takes place the tape will have been cut off and end just beyond the tape feeding rolls, as indicated on Fig. 11. It will be seen that in this position the approach Pin I2I is conof roll I8 towards roll 35 is stopped by screw I4 so that no pressure is exerted upon the tape, and therefore no feeding force is exerted, although roll 35'is constantly turning in the direction indicated by arrow I38 on Fig. 11. The bag top is moved along with the bag in the direction of arrow I29 on Fig. 1 and of arrow I3I on Fig. 11 untilthe forward edge of the bag is in the bite of the rolls 35 and I8, as indicated upon Fig. 12. It will be readily seen that the thickness of the bag between the sides of the tape spreads the tape so that it is forced into frictional engagement with the feed rolls 35 and I8, and thereupon the feeding action of the rolls becomes effective.

The bag is thereafter carried along by belt 25 and the tape is pulled from reel =34 and fed forend of the tape of the tape and bag top through the sewing machine is controlled by the usual sewing machine feeding mechanism, which need not be described in detail, as any conventional means will accomplished its function. As shown in the drawings, the rolls and 10 are less than a bag width plish the purpose. It is necessary that the feed rolls should be near enough to the feeding means of the sewing machine .so that the sewing ma-.-

'chine feed will become effective upon the tape at least, and preferably upon the tape and bag top, before the bag top has passed the feed roll 35, so that, the feeding of the bag top and tape -will be continuous as it enters between rolls 35 and 10 until the sewing machine has accomfrom the sewing machine. As previously indicated, the feed roll 35 is driven through an over-running clutch. While its speed is preferably very nearly that of thepinched between those rolls, and therefore no.

further feeding friction is exerted upon the. tape; but nevertheless the tape continues to be drawn forward by the feeding device of the sewingmachine until the rear edge of the bag passes the end of finger 11, thereupon the finger is swung y pring in back of the bag, and at the same time rod III actuates lever 82, and engagement of pawl 84 with head 81 draws rod downward in the direction of arrow I32 on Fig. 15. The movement of lever 82 is suflicient so that pawl 84 slips from head 81 and allows the upwardmovement of the rod by spring 89. But before this takes place, spring II6 snaps rock arms H5, and 92 totheirdotted line position as shown on Fig. 15. This rocks shaft 93 and moves stop arm 94 out of contact with tooth 95, which results in the closing of the clutch, which starts the turning movement of part 91, and through intermediate connections the movement of tooth "11.

But immediately upon the swinging of arm 92 to its dotted line position, tooth III is freed from stop H2, and spring I25 thereupon snaps: lever I24 and knife 31 through its cutting move-., ment. This severs the tape, this severance take ing place almost instantly'upon the finger 11 dropping behind the bag. Disc I20 and its con-- nected parts are moved through an arc of some-= what less than by action of spring I25 when tooth III is freed by the movement of abutment II2 as described. This moves the parts from the position in which they are shown on Figs. 15 and 16, in the direction of arrow "3,. to the positions in which they are shown in Figs. 17 and 18. It will be seen that during this movement cam IIO contacts abutment I11 and returns arms H5 and 92 to their original position, so that pin 90 can be returned to its upper position tin the direction indicated by arrow I34 on Fig. 1'7;

This snap action moves tooth H0 in advance of tooth I01, but through the action of the clutch, as described above, tooth I 01 is started into movement at about the same time, and soon catches up with tooth I10, and thereafter continues to move tooth III) and the connected parts around to their original position; The return of arms 92 and H5 to their original positions returns stop 94 to its original position, so that it stops the the tape being out behind the bag at a predetermined point, depending upon the length andarrangement of finger 11, and that the tape extends ahead of the forward edge of the baga distance depending .upon the relative position of the rolls and the cutting knife. lengths of tape may be applied to the tops of Accordingly, suitable successive bags automatically, and extend the predetermined desired distance on both sides of the bag regardless of the exact spacing of the bags upon the conveyor belt. This is a. very obvious advantage;

While the tape applying and cutting device has been fully described in connection with apparatus for closing the tops of filled bags, it will be readily apparent that it might be applied, with suitable changes in the apparatus, to applying tape to the ends of empty bags. Also in its broader aspects it might be employed with articles other than bags. The arrangement is particularly designed for use with a sewing machine so as to properly apply a tape that'is sewed onto the bag, but in its broader. aspects it might be employed with an adhesive tapecr tape that was secured to the bag by other means, in which case the applying and severing device would operate in While roller 35 is referred to in the speciflca- 1 tion and claims as being constantly driven, it will be seen by reference to the drawings and descriptior. that this is true only while the sewing machine is running. This is preferable, since it prevents feeding the bag to the sewing machine except while the machine is running and ready to receive it, and thus' jamming at the sewing machine is avoided.

While the changing of the apparatus to close the ends of empty bags is the most obvious modiflcation, and some other modifications have been mentioned, it will be understoodthat other modifications of the apparatus may be employed within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim-is; 1. Apparatus for closing bag ends, comprising a sewing machine having feeding means, means to convey bags in succession with their ends passing through the sewing machine, atape guide in position to guide tape onto the bag ends as they approach the sewing machine, a tape cutter beiof tween the guide and the sewing machine, means actuating the cutter when the rear side of a bag is past the cutter a predetermined extent, and means to feed the tape with a bag end to the feeding means of the sewing machine.

2. Apparatus for closing bag ends, comprising a sewing machine, a conveyor adapted to convey bags in succession past the sewing machine with their ends in position to be sewn, a tapeguide in position to guide tape onto the bag ends as it approaches the sewing machine, friction feed rolls on opposite sides of the tape and bag end as the bag end is moved through the guide, means constantly driving at least one of said rolls, the rolls being spaced far enough apart to avoid feeding friction when tape alone is between them, and near enough together to exert feeding friction when the tape and bag end are both between them, a cutter between the feed rolls and the sewing machine, and meansautomatically operating the cutter when the rear edge of a bag has moved a predetermined distance past the cutter.

3. Apparatus for closing bag ends, comprising a sewing machine, a conveyor adapted to convey bags in succession past the sewing machine with their ends in position to be sewn, a tape guidein position to guide tape onto the bag end as it approaches the sewing machine, friction feed rolls on opposite sides of the tape and bag end as the bag end is moved through the guide, means constantly driving at least one of said rolls, the rolls being spaced far enough apart to avoid feeding friction when tape alone is between them, and near enough together to exert feeding friction when the. tape and bag end are both between them, a cutter between the feed rolls and the sewing machine, and means automatically operating the cutterwhen the rear edge of a bag has moved a predetermined distance past bags in succession past the sewing machine with their ends in position to be sewn, a tape guide in position to guide tape onto the bag end as it approaches the sewing machine, friction feed rolls on opposite sides of the tape and bag end as the bag end is moved through the guide, means constantly driving at least one of said rolls through an over-running clutch, the rolls being spaced far enough apart to avoid feeding friction when tape alone is between them and near enough together to exert feeding friction when the tape and bag end are both between them, a cutter between the feed rolls and the sewing machine, and means automatically operating the cutter when the rear edge of a bag has moved a predetermined distance past the cutter, the sewing machine having feeding means operating at least as fast as the feed rolls.

5. Apparatus for closing the mouths of filled bags, comprising a conveyor adapted to .convey filled bags in succession with their mouths up, a sewing machine in position to sew the bag mouths in succession, the sewing machine having a vertical shaft, tape applying means mounted upon a vertical pivot on the side of the sewing machine which the bags approach before they are sewed, said means comprising a vertical shaft, a belt drive between said vertical shafts, and an adjustable stop limiting the movement of the tape applying means about its pivot, and determining the proper position of the tape applying means with respect to the conveyor and sewing machine.

6. Apparatus for closing the mouths of filled bags, comprising a sewing machine, a conveyor adapted to convey filled bags in succession with their mouths in position to be sewn by said sewing machine, a tape guide spaced the height of the bag above the conveyor in the path of the bag tops as they approach the sewing machine, a

cutter between the guide and the sewing machine, and tape-feeding means between the cutthe length of tape appliedto one bag.

10. Apparatus in accordance with claim 6 and the sewing machine comprising feeding means spaced from the tape-feeding means less than the length of' tape applied to one bag, and the tape-feeding means being constructed to effectively feed the tape only when a bag top is moving through the tape-feeding means with the tape;

11. Apparatus for closing the mouths of filled bags, comprising a sewing machine having feeding means, a conveyor adapted to convey a series of filled bags with their mouths in position to be sewed in succession by the sewing machine, a tape'guide in the path of the bag tops before they reach the sewing machine, a tape cutter between the guide .and the sewing machine, tapefeeding means between the cutter and guide and nearer to the sewing machine feeding means than the length of tape applied to one bag, means driving the tape-feeding means through an overrunning clutch at a speed not greater than the speed of the sewing machine feeding means, the tape-feeder being operative only while a bag top is passing therethrough with the tape, and trip means actuating the cutter when a bag top has passed a predetermined distance beyond the tapefeeding means.

12. Apparatus for closing bag ends, comprising a sewing machine, means to convey bags in succession with their ends passing through the sewing machine, a 'tape guide in position to guide tape onto the bag ends as they approach the sewing machine, a tape cutter between the guide and. the sewing machine, means actuating the far enough to avoid feeding friction upon the 10 tape and bag end together.

ESLLA. MARSH. 

